New Technologies Remove a Barrier to Mining in the Illinois Basin, Boosting Output and Bucking the Overall Trend

LIVELY GROVE, Ill.—Coal has been losing favor as an energy source for a few years, thanks to relatively cheap and clean-burning natural gas and stricter environmental rules. But at least in this part of the country, mining is a booming business.

One coal mine in this farming community southeast of St. Louis is part of an energy project that has added 580 jobs and helped fund a high school and court building. In McLeansboro, 70 miles to the east, a mine under construction has brought jobs and several new businesses. A...